Overall Rating Awesome: 15.79% Worth A Look: 10.53% Average: 28.95% Pretty Bad: 28.95% Total Crap: 15.79% 2 reviews, 26 user ratings

Latest Reviews Public Sex (Dogging: A Love Story) by Charles Tatum Monterey Pop by Rob Gonsalves Mutant Swinger from Mars by Jay Seaver Hellraiser by Charles Tatum Most Dangerous Man in America, The: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers by Lybarger Frozen by Jay Seaver Crazy Heart by Rob Gonsalves Quigley by Rob Gonsalves From Paris with Love by brianorndorf Secret of Kells, The by brianorndorf subscribe to this feed

Latest Features 20 For 10: The Movies of 2010 (Part 2) Blu-ray Review - The House of the Devil Blu-ray Review - Amelia Blu-ray Review - Whip It A Dead Rat in a Lucite Block: "Cruising" 30 Years Later The 10th Annual eFilmCritic Oscar Pick 'Em (WIN 50 DVDS!) Victoria Film Festival Interview - "Day Before Yesterday" director Patricia Chica Victoria Film Festival Interview - "Trimpin': The Sound of Invention" director Peter Esmonde DVD Reviews For 2/5: “Go Now--And Heaven Help You!” Victoria Film Festival Interview - "(Untitled)" director Jonathan Parker subscribe to this feed

Phenomenon

List Price:		$14.99
Price:		$14.99
find out more information

Buy posters from this movie

by Chris Parry

"Scientology 101. Today's lecture will be given by John Travolta."

When this film came out a lot of folks were all huffy and paranoid that Travolta was using films to get his message across, being a wacky scientologist type guy. After this came Michael, which wasn't without similar claims. But only in the light of Travolta's latest "project", to make L. Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth" series into a feature film, does it become clear that the man has an agenda. But hey, let's keep the politics for another forum.

We're here to diss this movie for the movie itself, not the eery stuff behind it.

So Vinnie Barbarino is a smalltown dumbfuck. Nothing much special, but OH NELLIE he gets hit by some kind of light and suddenly he can read a hundred times the normal speed, remember every piece of information he sees, learn Portugese in ten minutes, become a rocket scientist and, eventually, move stuff telekinetically.

Government nasty. Take Vinnie in. Test Vinnie. Make Vinnie do monkey tricks. Poor Vinnie just want to be left alone to study astro-neural-physics or some such god knows what.

Is Vinnie any good in his role? Yeah, sure. He really "believes" in what he's portraying. He's "committed" to the project. He's giving it his all. Kyra Sedgwick, as his betrothed, is fine enough. Bobby Duvall does his usual Bobby Duvall schtick and Forest Whitaker is around acting all "hyuck".

It's mild stuff. Watch Vinnie be smart. Watch Vinnie change everyone's life. Watch evil come after him.

The message behind it all? We all have parts of our brain just waiting to be unlocked, and the establishment will make life hard for you if you do.

Excuse me while I yawn a lot and amuse myself with popcorn and the people in front of me.

del.icio.us

link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=593&reviewer=1
originally posted: 04/09/99 00:12:02

printer-friendly format

User Comments

7/28/07 steven kelly Warm 'n' fuzzy drama doesn't seem to know what to do with itself, but is generally engaging 3 stars

5/16/07 fools♫gold Don't pay attention to the government - err - these critics. 5 stars

8/29/06 Luisa Touching and entertaining tear-jerker 4 stars

8/16/05 ES Cna you say rip-off of Powder= Mr. Travolta does it again 2 stars

2/26/05 Cameron Cubbison wonderfully entertaining and poingnant...Travolta should've won an Oscar. great every time 5 stars

2/19/05 Jeff Anderson ONE OF TRAVOLTA'S BEST PERFORMANCES! An intriguing & great film about hope THAT I LOVED!!!! 5 stars

11/21/04 Alan Liddle If you have any emotions whatso-ever, this will get to you. I loved it and I'm a bloke. 5 stars

12/05/03 john better than a sleeping pill 1 stars

6/12/03 Spoonhead Story lacks any depth, Acted well though. 3 stars

2/01/03 KatheBlueEyes Lots of fun to watch 4 stars

7/23/02 R.W. Welch Rambling fantasy flick is no grabber but interesting in spots. 3 stars

4/29/02 Rockitman007 It wasnt that bad. Parts were very good. Richard Kiley is always watchable. 4 stars

8/10/01 Mr. Hat I cried, man. 4 stars

6/15/01 Law Firm of Dewey, Cheatam & Howe One exceptionally great scene (Forest & housekeeper) do not a movie make 1 stars

4/03/01 Andrew Carden The only good thing is the special effects. 2 stars

12/04/00 Cristopher Revilla Wasn't that good 3 stars

7/19/00 Reeds reel reviews the only reviews you print are from space ships that want blood, gore and sex or it's no go 5 stars

3/23/00 Richard Wright Would Travolta please read his scripts before signing up for hackneyed rubbish like this? 2 stars

1/15/00 hum this is so bad! 1 stars

11/24/99 sam crap 1 stars

1/15/99 Dasha I haven't had the patience to wait until end. Pretty pathetic. 2 stars

10/31/98 Silent Rob Sporky, says it all..Charly/Flowers For Algernon, without the 'mystery science'. 3 stars

10/18/98 y one of the worst. 1 stars

10/06/98 katherine How could this film get rated shabbily? ok, it was mushy, but still totally awesome. 5 stars

9/25/98 ShadowStar UGH!!! 1 stars

8/25/98 Mister Whoopee Scientology textbook. 2 stars

IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
Note: Duplicate, 'planted,' or other obviously improper comments
will be deleted at our discretion. So don't bother posting 'em. Thanks!

Your Name:

Your Comments:

Your Location: (state/province/country)

Your Rating:

USA 03-Jul-1995 (PG) UK N/A Australia N/A

Directed by Jon Turteltaub Written by Gerald Di Pego Cast John Travolta Kyra Sedgwick Forest Whitaker Robert Duvall Jeffrey DeMunn Richard Kiley

Advertisement

Overall Rating

Latest Reviews

Latest Features

User Comments